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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · key · capital · pit · arm · mark · bass · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. pit — in a race
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pit — a hole
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — a grade
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — a trace
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com